Minimizing Antipsychotic Medication Side Effects in Adults Diagnosed with Mental Illness through Psychoeducation: An Evidence-Based Approach

Abstract

Adherence to antipsychotic medication has demonstrated significant impact in decreasing symptom exacerbation among patients diagnosed with mental illness. Antipsychotic medications have several benefits including the management of psychotic and mood disorders; however, they could cause unwanted medication side effects with metabolic and cardiovascular risks. This issue is one of the commonly linked side effects resulting in nonadherence among mentally ill patients. The purpose of this project was to implement a psychoeducational intervention using the SIMPLE program to address metabolic and cardiovascular risks associated with antipsychotic medications among adult patients diagnosed with mental illness. A sample size of sixteen adult patients completed this project over a four-week period. There was a significant increase in mean healthy lifestyle change score on pre-HPLP II (M = 16.675, SD = ± 2.385) compared to post-test score; HPLP II (M = 21.104, SD = ± 2.287). The findings of this project supports that psychoeducation promotes healthy lifestyle changes among patients prescribed antipsychotic medications. Keywords: psychoeducation, mental illness, antipsychotic medication, metabolic risk